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Genesis 3:8-9 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

This is the first occurrence of a human attribute that is described to God which does not fit. It is not a misprint, bad translation, or a weakness of God. When He asked “where are you” it was not a matter of not knowing where Adam and Eve were but served two purposes:

1. It was a way to open up a conversation with Adam and Eve from the comfort of their own hiding place and give them a moment to explain themselves. He did not accuse them but expressed a desire for them. God was applying therapy. They had developed the first baggage that could have been carried with them throughout their marriage and passed on to their children. But, God opened up that baggage by asking the questions, “Where are you,” “Who is to blame,” and “Did you disobey.”

2. He was playing their game. My grandkids are very small and their favorite game is hide and seek. They have even told me where to hide. I played it their way. God played it their way.

So, did God know where they were all the time? If we are to believe that not only does God know everything but He knows the future, then the answer is yes.

There is a deeper principle here.

1. Sin makes you stupid. When you look at these two verses it is very easy to conclude that God walked with Adam and Even on a regular basis. We really have no idea as to how many weeks, months or even years have past since their creation. Surely, by now, they understand the vastness of God’s knowledge and the limitless sight that He has.

Adam had to be anything but dumb. He was given an assignment by God – to name all of the animals. Could you do that and remember them without the use of a computer or even a pen and paper? And yet, following their sin, they really believed that they could hide from the presence of God.

They hid from the “presence” of God. They attempted the impossible.

2. Sin introduced fear. In verse 10 they were afraid. But, with this fear they experienced shame and possibly guilt. Can you just imagine experiencing these kinds of feelings for the very first time in your lives?

3. Sin reveals the absence of God. Many have tried to explain why sin made such a big deal about being naked. Sin does not keep people from being naked today. This is just my conclusion. I believe that before their sin they were somehow covered with the glory or presence of God and now they were, for the first time, uncovered.